Rocket Holborn Review

On St Patricks Day we made our way to the centrally located Rocket Holborn on Kingsway.

Rocket is just a couple of minutes from Holborn Underground, a stone’s throw from Covent Garden and just north of the Strand – Perfect!
I loved the entrance to Rocket – so quirky and fun and different to any other restaurant on Kingsway. I was lead downstairs to the restaurant, elegantly decorated in the pink/purple and orange colour scheme. As you walk in there is a bar area where you can enjoy a drink from their extensive wine and cocktail lists.

I had been eyeing up the cocktail list before visiting and as New Zealand Marlborough Estate sauvigon blanc is my all time favourite I decided to start with the Lost In The Grass cocktail (£10.50). This is shaken up with La Penca Mezcal, Marlborough sauvignon blanc, lemon zest, lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, coriander & sugar. Now many of my friends often joke that I have unusual taste (for example I was the only one who enjoyed Palinka when I visited Budapest recently) so I only recommend this drink for those who enjoy something a bit different like myself. Although unusual with a strong taste of lime and coriander, Lost In The Grass is a very refreshing cocktail and a great one to start the night with. The presentation (below) was fantastic too and the glass (?) was ice cold. The perfect drink to start the night with, especially after frantically running to meet my dinner date after my meeting overran, I needed something to cool me down.

To start Karl had the Chorizo and Halloumi skewers (£7.20) which I really wanted to try but he gobbled it up before I had a chance – so that’s saying something!
I had Filo Wrapped Marinated Feta with honey and sesame (£7). The feta worked so well with the honey and sesame, the contrast of tastes were absolutely delicious. I was worried this huge portion of feta would make me feel a bit sick after (bad memories of eating a little too much feta in Rhodes a few years back before flying home) but it was just perfect and it didn’t put me off ordering more cheese for my main course – I think I have a problem.

Pizzas are made freshly to order, Karl went for the BBQ Pulled Pork Shoulder pizza (£13.60) which was absolutely delicious. So full of flavour with a hint of spice too as it was covered with Rainbow slaw, Chipotle spiced tomato sauce, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese.

We didn’t try the salads however Rocket also serves a range of unusual salad combinations such as Rare Beef and Chip Salad. The steak and chips is served on a bed of rocket, green beans, red onion, radishes, crispy garlic, fried chilli with a punchy black bean dressing. There is a range of different salads, pizzas and other healthy but delicious dishes so Rocket is suited to a range of eaters and offers a selection of options which all take inspiration from around the world.

For main course I ordered Moroccan Spiced Paneer, Halloumi & Tofu Skewers (£13.60) which was on tabbouleh salad with minted yoghurt dressing and pomegranate seeds. Since visiting India last August I have developed an obsession for Paneer and unless I visit an Indian restaurant in the UK, it’s hard to find it on menus. So of course I had to go for it when I saw it available at Rocket and especially as it contained my other favourite, halloumi.

The yoghurt was a great contrast to the spices and the pomergranate added a lovely sweetness against the savoury cheeses.

When it was time for dessert I was extremely full but the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Caramel ice cream (£6.40) was just too tempting to resist! (I didn’t go for cheesecake, surprised?)I ordered the Golden Eye cocktail (£9.50) to accompany my dessert. A classy cocktail which is mixed to perfection with Amaretto, Absolut Vanilia, a brown sugar cube & orange zest topped with Champagne. Absolutly delicious and a great dessert pairing.

Karl went for the Tropical Wave (£9.50) – pictured above – which is a combination of Koko Kanu, Passoâ, fresh watermelon & lemon juice, topped with pressed apple. The taste was so fresh and it made me feel like I was on holiday. Tropical Wave is the perfect palate cleanser following dishes with such exotic flavours.

There isn’t anything I can fault about Rocket. It is very reasonably priced, considering it’s central location, however if you visit between 5-7pm on a weekday you can get 2 for 1 cocktails until the end of March.